One of the longest tenured coaches in Miami history, Carolyn Condit returns for her 31st season in charge of the volleyball program.

“We enter each new academic year with specific goals in mind that guide, direct, motivate and bond us together as a team,” said Condit. “We expect to maintain a 100 percent graduation rate, win the conference, win the conference tournament, earn the NCAA bid and improve on our last appearance, improve our RPI and thrive as a team with effective leadership, a strong chemistry and a will to win that is hard to match.”

The winningest coach in the history of the Miami Athletic Department, Condit enters the 2014 season with a 521-420 record over her first 30 seasons in charge of the Red and White. She is the only coach to earn 500 victories for the RedHawks in school history, earning it with a 3-0 victory over Wright State on Aug. 25, 2012. Including her four seasons in charge of Xavier, Condit has over 600 wins, holding a career record of 620-500. On Aug. 28, 2010, she coached her 1,000th career game. She became only the 11th coach in NCAA history to reach that mark while coaching exclusively at the Division I level. Condit is the winningest volleyball coach in the history of the Mid-American Conference with a mark of 278-191.

The RedHawks have boasted amazing success under Condit’s direction. She credits a consistent effort towards scheduling high RPI opponents to help upgrade Miami’s own level of play. The five-time MAC Coach-of-the-Year has seven NCAA Tournament appearances, five MAC titles and four MAC Player-of-the-Year awards to her credit. As one of the most prolific coaches in the MAC, Condit and her staff continue their quest to keep Miami among the elite programs in the conference and region both athletically and in the classroom. Under Condit, 32 athletes have earned a total of 68 All-MAC awards for their play on the court, while 33 athletes have earned a combined 50 All-MAC academic honors for their performance in the classroom. Five of her players have been named CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, and six of her players (out of seven volleyball players all-time) have earned induction into the Miami Athletic Hall of Fame.

Condit’s continued success was rewarded in 2013 when Athletic Director David Sayler signed her to a contract extension through the 2016-17 season.

"I am pleased to announce an extension for Coach Condit," said Sayler. "We have high expectations for Miami Volleyball and it is our clear expectation to compete for championships going forward."

Condit is using her experience to give back to young coaches looking to move up the ladder. In 2012, she volunteered to join the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s mentorship program, where she advises new high school and college level coaches who are looking to make the profession their career.

Having reached the NCAA Tournament in two of the past six seasons, hopes are high for Condit and the RedHawks to continue that success in 2014. With a several returning players and a highly rated recruiting class joining this year’s team, expectations are high to make another run towards the MAC Championship and a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

A Commitment to Academic Success

Condit, whose program has boasted superior graduation rates during her tenure, is credited with building the Miami program into a winner both on and off the court.

Keeping academics a top priority for the volleyball team is an important part of Condit’s winning philosophy. Her student-athletes take great pride in their academic achievements and often are among the leaders at Miami in grade-point average. In the spring of 2010, the team had the highest GPA among all RedHawk athletic teams with a 3.7. It is believed to be the highest single-semester GPA for any athletic team in school history. The Miami volleyball team also ranked 13th nationally among Division I schools that year, earning the AVCA Team Academic Award. They nearly broke that record with a 3.66 GPA last semester (spring 2013), believed to be the second highest single-semester GPA in school history.

Former RedHawk players made sure Condit was recognized for her work as a teacher, as an effort led by Suzy Wolford (‘05) earned her a nomination for the 2010-11 Miami Effective Educator Award.

In 2014, Condit was honored by Miami University with the Kathy McMahon Klosterman Award at the inaugural Women in Leadership Symposium. The award is given annually to someone that stands out during their career for their impactful and/or longstanding support of advocacy for women. The awards program was started by Professor Kathy McMahon Klosterman many years ago, with this award being established in 2008.

“The team’s academic work and pursuit of their degree will always remain our top priority. Miami enjoys being among a prestigious group of Division I universities in the country who are well known for high academic standards, yet their motivated student-athletes prove year-after-year to be winners on the court. Our student-athletes certainly deserve much credit for their perseverance in their pursuit of excellence on and off the court,” said Condit.

Virginia Heineman (’85), Kathy and Wendy Tepe (’87) and Jessica Stout (’97) brought national recognition to Miami through their selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-America team, while Tara Buroker (‘04), Jill Homrig (’90), Kathy Whalen (’91) and Stout each earned first-team CoSIDA academic all-district honors twice. Junior Meg Riley has been the latest honoree, earning First-Team CoSIDA District IV honors as a sophomore in 2013 and again as a junior in 2014.

Condit by the numbers

620 – Career wins (as of end of 2013 season)

19 - Teams that have advanced to at least to the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals since the tournament was reinstituted in 1987.